Young Brookdale team jells behind its pitching, defense
Blues off to 10-4 start despite rugged
early schedule
JERRY WOLKOWITZ Brookdale’s Jon Forte laces a double during the Jersey Blues’ win over Sussex County College on Thursday in Middletown.
Brookdale Community College’s baseball team embarked on the program’s most difficult non-conference schedule ever in early March when they spent a week in Cocoa Beach, Fla. Suntanning was the farthest thing from the Jersey Blues’ minds as coach Johnny Johnson threw his team into the fire, playing six nationally ranked teams during the week.
For a coach to launch such an ambitious schedule at the start of the season is usually a sign that he is fielding a veteran unit. The Jersey Blues, however, start seven freshmen.
Johnson had his eye on May when he beefed up his schedule. He wanted to have his team better prepared for the Garden State Athletic Conference and Region XIX season and tournament by facing the best in the nation.
Johnson knew that his plan could backfire if the young Jersey Blues were to prove to be noncompetitive and suffer bad losses. But Johnson didn’t think that was likely, because he has assembled his deepest pitching staff ever. His gamble worked.
"It was the toughest schedule we’ve ever played," he pointed out. "I felt our pitching staff would keep us in ball games.
"This is the most athletic team I’ve had at Brookdale," he added. "We can compete with anyone. They’re young and can revert back to being freshmen, but the fact that we were able to beat the No. 2 and No. 4 teams in the country was good for our confidence."
The Jersey Blues more than survived their baptism under fire; they prevailed and carried a 7-4 record into the start of the GSAC and Region XIX season Thursday in Lincroft against Sussex. Getting a very economical start from freshman Tom Polito (one run, four hits over seven innings), the Jersey Blues eventually ran away from Sussex, winning their home opener, 11-5, and improved to 8-4 on the season and 1-0 in the conference and region. Polito improved to 2-0.
The new-look Jersey Blues were on display in their very first at-bat of the game when the swift Michael Pierre, the freshman third baseman, lined a double into the gap in right center. He would move to third on a fly-out by Stephen Echevarria, one of the holdovers from last year, and score on a wild pitch. It would not be the only time that Pierre would force a miscue with his speed.
When Pierre wasn’t manufacturing runs, the Blues’ bats were talking loudly. Daniel Martinez’s two RBI singles made it 3-0 in the third.
Brookdale opened it up in the last of the sixth, pushing four runs across the plate. Shortstop John Kokotajlo’s single to right plated two runs. Pierre’s infield nubber produced a throwing error that took him all the way to third base and scored Kokotajlo. Pierre scored the fourth run on a ground-out.
In the eighth, Jon Forte’s line-drive double to centerfield cleared the bases and opened up an 11-2 lead. The Jersey Blues pounded out 16 hits, including doubles by Pierre, Forte and Echevarria.
"I expected pitching and hitting to be our strengths," said Johnson. "I think we can hit with anybody. Right now we have to learn to make adjustments when we face pitchers who throw off speed. That’s a sign of our youth.
"We’re playing better defense than I thought," the BCC skipper added. "Our infield is all freshmen, and they are jelling quicker that I thought. This is one of the closest teams I’ve had."
Shortstop Kokotajlo and centerfielder Forte made sparkling defensive plays that kept Sussex from getting into the game. Kokotajlo saved a pair of runs in the sixth when he snatched a scorching line-drive despite being screened by a base runner. Forte showed his speed and range later in the game, running down potential extra-base hits with runners on.
Brookdale’s infield defense has a pair of surehanded glovemen at second and short in Pierre and Kokotajlo. Antonio Mirando is solid at third base and has a strong arm, and first baseman Jason Powell covers up errant throws with his glove. Catcher Yuri Lopetegui is a dependable three-way catcher; he works well with pitchers, is a sound defensive backstop and has a big arm that can throw runners out.
Forte is flanked in the outfield by Marc Savard in left and Echevarria in right.
Brookdale, once a perennial participant in the Junior College World Series, is anxious to get back there.
Last year their bid for the World Series fell one game short in the Region finals to Delaware Tech. Lack of pitching depth more than anything else has kept them away from the series since 1997, despite their 33-13 record.
"In the past we had two or three good pitchers, but this year we have the depth," Johnson remarked. "If a pitcher gets in trouble in the fourth inning, I have a number of guys I can turn to."
Along with the depth, the Jersey Blues have quality starters, beginning with sophomore Alex Perez, who was 6-0 last year and led the nation in earned run average last year and is headed for the University of Miami.
Perez, a lefty, is joined by another sophomore southpaw, T.J. Hepworth, and freshmen right-handers Polito and Mark Leanza in the starting rotation. They are pitchers who can give the team innings. They throw strikes and will keep their team in ball games.
That’s all they need to do because Brookdale is another offensive juggernaut.
"We don’t have to rely on any one player to carry us; we’ve got nine guys who can do it," said Johnson.
Following their win over Sussex, Brookdale took to the road Saturday and won a Region XIX doubleheader at Delaware Technical and Community College, Jack F. Owens Campus. Perez was on his game in the opener, tossing a two-hitter and striking out 12 as the Blues won 3-0. Perez went the distance and picked up the shutout. In the nightcap, the Blues edged Delaware Tech, 7-5, as Forte and Martinez had two RBIs each. Hepworth pitched into the seventh and got the win.
Johnson has a number of pitchers he can count on this spring, and that is important. In the Region XIX Tournament, where teams can play three to four games in two days, the Blues simply ran out of quality arms the last couple of years. Johnson took care of that in 2002.
In addition to his four starters, the Blues have Matt Cangialosi, Gene Demeter, Jason Soltren, Anthony Del Grosso Jr., Tim Costello, Kevin McNee, Kyle Boturia, Brian Rabbit and William Holcraft. The Jersey Blues will not be short of pitchers come tournament time this year.